Dedication paying off for Hoxie girls

Indians notch 73rd straight win

EMPORIA — As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a dynasty is “a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time.”

An apt description for Hoxie’s girls basketball program, which has dominated Class 1A Division I during the past three seasons to the tune of 73 consecutive wins, three straight championships and an average margin of victory of more than 40 points.

“We really don’t talk much about streaks and things like that,” said Hoxie coach Shelly Hoyt, whose team rolled to another title Saturday with a 71-51 win against Valley Heights. “But I think it’s something we can talk about now that the season’s over. We just have a great group of kids who work extremely hard.”

That hard work entails a rigorous offseason, including weights and conditioning, by every member of the basketball program. Missing a session in the weight room simply isn’t an option.

“If somebody isn’t there on time, we’ll send a text message or make a call,” said junior Carly Heim, who averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists during the tourney. “We don’t focus on winning championships, the score or winning streaks. We focus on being the best that we can be.”

The Indians may not focus on winning streaks, but they’ll likely hear plenty about it when the 2014-15 season begins in about seven months. With 18 more wins, Hoxie would equal the state record set by Little River from 1994 to 1998.

Little River not only won 91 straight games and four consecutive state titles, but also prevented the legendary Jackie Stiles from winning a championship at Claflin.

“Honestly, I really didn’t know that 91 was the record,” said Hoyt, whose team last lost a game in December 2011 against Wichita Word of Life. “Again, we work more on playing our best than we do about thinking about things like that. You really have to if you want stay focused.”

Hoxie should make a run at Little River’s record streak with nine players returning next season, including starters Heim, Terran Hoyt and Lexi Schamberger.

The Indians’ championship roster included two juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen.

Add to the mix a dominant junior high program — also coached by Shelly Hoyt — and Hoxie figures to be a powerhouse for years to come.

“We just don’t want to let each other down,” Heim said. “We love playing together, and we love winning.”